Internal combustion (IC) engines may be of a multi-cylinder or gas turbine design. It is common for a multi-cylinder engine to include a turbocharger having a turbine which is rotatably driven by exhaust gases and a compressor providing compressed charge air to the combustion cylinders. The turbocharger uses otherwise spent exhaust gases to increase the power output from the engine.
It is known to use the exhaust gases which are discharged from the turbine of the turbocharger to rotatably drive a second turbine connected to an electrical generator. The electrical generator is selectively coupled through a controller to a motor providing additional mechanical input power to the flywheel of the multi-cylinder engine. The amount of energy remaining in the exhaust gas after passing through the turbocharger is somewhat diminished, therefore the amount of power that can be extracted with a second turbine is limited.
A gas turbine engine as mentioned above typically has a compressor stage, combustor and turbine stage. Air is pressurized in the compressor, mixed with fuel and ignited in the combustor, and then expanded in the turbine stage. A combustor is commonly used with a gas turbine engine, but is not used with multi-cylinder IC engines.
What is needed in the art is a multi-cylinder IC engine which may be operated using conventional techniques for most load conditions, but coupled to a compact auxiliary power source to provide high energy output to meet peak power demands.